Nights Like These
by Miss Mila
Summary: A TIVA, Ziva/Tony, fic inspired by the amazing episode, "Chimera". Please READ and REVIEW. FIC IS FINALLY FINISHED! Feedback is appreciated! Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_**Night's Like These:**_

_**An NCIS TIVA fic**_

_**Disclaimer: Okay, we've been over this. I don't own any of the NCIS characters, places, themes, etc. But, the holidays ARE coming up…you never know…lol. **_

_**A/N: A little something I thought of while watching the best NCIS episode (of the ones I have seen so far) "Chimera". Honestly. Great episode. Lots of possible TIVA-ness. **_

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Ziva Perspective

It was nights like these that she hated most. But, who could blame her? The team wasn't exactly in Hawaii here. Actually, they were far from it. The NCIS agents were in the Golan Inn, investigating the death of the ex-Naval officer who ran the place.

And, of course, the Golan Inn was in the middle of nowhere. To add to all the fun, the place was under Quarantine, because, Ducky thought that the Officer was killed by an insect carrying a virus, and though the "virus" was thought harmless, when mixed with an allergen found in the Inn, it could be deadly. So, she, Gibbs, McGee, Tony, and Ducky were trapped in the Inn until CDC could clear the place of any threat.

It was nights like these that made her think of him. More than she was supposed to. And they made her think of _that _night. When they went undercover. She remembered the way his lips felt on her skin, on her lips. She shook her head and turned over on the old, creaky Inn bed. This Inn was getting to her head.

She sighed and threw back the covers. She made her way to the window, next to which was an armchair. Staring out at the dense forest didn't help her mood. And she swore she saw someone moving near the window. Just what she needed. A disease-infested, ghost-ridden Inn. Fun.

"Ziva?"

She whipped around, only to see Tony peering around the door. She went to the bed and sat down, motioning for him to come in.

He came in and sat next to her, in the middle of the bed. She was very aware of him, and how close he was. Close enough to touch.

"Can't sleep?" He asked.

She looked up at him, then put her head in her hands. "Nope." She said, though it came out a bit muffled.

"Not the first time?" He asked gently.

Ziva sighed. "Sleep. I remember sleep."

Tony chuckled. "Last time I got a good night's sleep was probably 5th Grade."

Ziva smiled. The movement outside caught her eye again, and she lifted her head, looking out of the window behind her.

Tony noticed these almost paranoid movements, and the expression on her face. "Oh, come on, Ziva. There's nothing out there."

She frowned at him, and sighed. Instead of answering, she lay down (facing the door) on the bed, knees almost drawn to her chest. Her back barely brushed Tony's legs (he was sitting Indian style; criss-cross); who was sitting in the middle of the bed.

Tony hesitantly raised his hand and brushed back her hair. He was thinking about their undercover mission…

"Tony?" She turned around so that she was facing him.

"Yeah?"

She was tired, and she decided that subtlety sucked. "Stay?"

He immediately lay down next to her, enveloping her into his arms. He chuckled. "So, Ziva, this remind you of anything?"

She smiled slyly. "Maybe."

"_I _think it was hard to forget." He said, placing a kiss on her temple.

Ziva chuckled. "I guess you're right."

It was on nights like these that she loved Anthony DiNozzo.

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_**A/N: Again, I LOVED this episode, highly recommend it. And I loved writing this fic as well, hopefully you all liked reading it. Please, please, please leave a review. It's sad that I have to practically beg…**_

_**11/11: By the way, some people have asked if I will continue this fic on to be longer, a 2 or 3 shot perhaps. I've decided to let **_**you**_** decide. If you go onto my profile page there is a poll at the top. Please vote and let me know if I should leave the fic as it is, or add onto it. Actually, if you feel more comfortable leaving a review, feel free to do that as well. Thank you so much!**_

_**11/17: Chapter TWO of this is going under construction, LoL. It will be up in the next week or so. Thanks again!!!!!  
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	2. Chapter 2

_**Nights Like These: Chapter Two:**_

_**An NCIS TIVA fic**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the NCIS characters, places, themes, etc. No copyright infringement intended. **_

_**A/n: Thanks to all those wonderful people who have reviewed, alert'd, fav'd or even read my story, and to those who have voted in the poll…not that the rest of y'all aren't excellent…LoL…please, enjoy!**_

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She woke up to the blinding light that filtered through the blinds of the old Inn. A smile came to her lips when she remembered how Tony stayed with her the previous night and made her feel safe.

She turned to her side and propped her head up on her shoulder, looking at Tony's sleeping figure.

He was so different when he was around her, or when he was asleep than he was in…well, public. It was those rare moments when he was especially kind and peaceful and gentle that made her love him.

Whoa. Love him.

But, thinking back to how he held her in his arms when she was creeped out last night, she supposed she did love him.

His eyes opened slightly and he saw her looking at him.

"Hey."

"Mornin' Ziva." He said with a yawn.

She smiled at him, and he opened his arms. She scooted closer to him and leaned her head on his chest. She listens to his heart beating as his chest rises and falls.

A knock at the door causes them to turn their head toward it (stupid person on the other side of that door).

Ziva sighs, "yes?" she asks.

"Ziva, you up? Hurry and get Tony, we've got stuff to do today!" Gibbs' voice calls.

Tony grins at her.

"Sure thing, Boss." Ziva says, smiling.

A few more moments of silence and peace when her phone rings. The alarm. Ziva sighs and gets up. "We should go…"

Tony nods. "We should." But he makes no effort to move.

"Thanks for staying last night."

Tony smiles softly. "No problem, Ziva."

She watches him silently slip out the door before changing into her working clothes. Yep. Tony DiNozzo was a strange man, but she loved him.

*****

"Ducky, found anything?" Gibbs asked as he walked into the makeshift lab.

"Yes. Jethro, I was wrong."

"Really?" He asks, slightly smug.

Ducky rolled his eyes. "Our Officer wasn't killed by the virus or an allergen. The virus is harmless, like I said. Instead, he was killed by a poison that I overlooked before. Hard to get accurate results without my lab."

"What does that mean for our case?" McGee asked as he walked in.

"It means that our Officer was murdered." Gibbs answered. "On the other hand, _we're _not gonna die."

"But everyone better be careful what they eat or drink until the poison and source are identified." Ducky said with a sigh.

Tony and Ziva walked in; they had heard the news.

"I'll go check the computers and the phone records of the Officer's." McGee said with a sigh.

"I'll go identify the compound." Ducky said as he started looking for vials.

"I have calls to make." Gibbs said as he looked at the makeshift lab and thought of Ducky's latest results. He frowned. "DiNozzo, Ziva, go talk to the neighbors."

"On it, Boss." They said at the same time, as they headed to the SUV and prepared for the drive.

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_**A/N: That's that for Chapter 2, not much, but I think the case will be solved and more TIVA moments will happen in the next chapter, or two? Review if you want to see this continued…I don't HAVE to write…**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the NCIS characters, places, themes, etc. No copyright infringement intended. **_

_**A/N: This chapter is WAY longer than I thought it'd be. And I've been making you guys wait a REALLY long time. So, this is half of Chapter 3, and there might be many more chapters than that. Who knew it took so much work to solve a murder? This half has limited TIVA ness, it's more of a case chapter until the TIVA ness can start. I hope you like it anyway, and I can't apologize enough for making you wait all this time. **_

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The Golan Inn really was in the middle of nowhere, Ziva decided as Tony drove along the winding path.

"Who are we going to question?" She asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Well, the closest things to the Inn are the gas station and the convenience store, and _that's _been burned down. The nearest neighborhood is 3 miles out, so if we don't find anything at the gas station, then we'll go there."

"What about the guests at the Inn?"

"McGee is looking into that, but it doesn't seem like the Golan Inn was _too _popular. Makes our jobs considerably easier."

They fell back into that comfortable silence. She stared out of the window. Fields. Fun.

And, while Ziva took the opportunity to enjoy the scenery, Tony looked at her.

There really was much more to this woman than martial arts and mangling expressions. In those rare moments when she let her emotions show…she was a completely different person. A human being. And he loved her for that.

"Tony," She said, snapping him out of his thoughts, "here's an idea. Why don't you keep your eyes on the road, where they belong." Ziva said teasingly, eyes never leaving the window.

Tony chuckled, "There are those ninja senses I know and love."

Ziva rolled her eyes. "Why don't you shut your mouth and play some music instead."

Tony stuck his tongue out at her as he slowed at the curve in the road. He turned the radio on, but reception wasn't exactly great in the middle of nowhere. He moved to turn the knob to a different station but Ziva slapped his hand away.

He started to say something about it when Ziva shushed him.

She concentrated on the radio, and the static-y news report emitting from it. "…Tornado and severe storm warnings in affect until 4:00pm today…"

Ziva sighed and turned the radio off angrily. "That's just great."

Tony frowned. He knew Ziva hated tornados. Then again, who liked them? "Well, there's _some _good news. One: The skies are clear now, and Two: We're at the gas station."

The gas station manager, and only employee was Thomas Lee. He seemed like a rather paranoid fellow, but not exactly murderer material.

"Have you seen anything strange around here?" Tony asked.

"No." The man said nervously as he looked over his shoulder.

"Who do you remember seeing here these past few days?" Ziva asked in her no-nonsense voice.

"Only a few people." Thomas answered. "A family of four stopping here on their way to some ranch or holiday site or something, and a man who stopped here for gas and a few things from the store."

Tony and Ziva shared a look. Obviously the man was more of a suspect than a family of four on vacation.

"Who was the man? What did he buy?" Tony asked as he walked through the small aisles.

The man looked nervous again. "Look, I dunno anything else."

Tony sighed and turned around to face the man. "Don't make us go through this. You pretend you don't know anything, we search the place, find proof you know the man and/or were working with him, we arrest you…have to take you _all the way back _to the city…save us the trouble, and the gas. Which isn't exactly cheap here."

Thomas looked over his shoulder and out the window once again. "Danny Lincoln. He bought some cigarettes and picked up a package that this other man-"

"-Other man?" Ziva and Tony asked at the same time.

"Whoops. Forgot to mention him."

Tony and Ziva Gibbs' stared at him.

"That guy, I don't know who he was, honest! He dropped off a package and told me I'd know who to give it to. But look, I have security tapes, proof!"

"That'll be all for now, Lee. Stick around town." Tony said once he had the tapes.

Ziva followed Tony to the car. "He's innocent." She said quietly.

"That's how the jury will see it." Tony said nodding. "We need to find these two men. Danny Lincoln and Mr. Mysterious are hiding something. And I'm willing to bet that a hit was put on our officer."

"I'll call Gibbs."

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_**A/N: Again, I'm sorry this is taking me so long. I didn't realize how hard it was to actually solve the case and have it make sense and not be TOO easy. I know there wasn't much TIVA in here, but I promise there will be more in the next chapter. Please leave a review? Tell me how I'm doing? **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the NCIS characters, places, themes, etc. No copyright infringement intended. **_

_**A/N: Okay. This, again, has taken me a LONG time to get out. But this time, I have a slightly better excuse. My computer got attackled by viruses and it has taken FOREVER to clean them all up and to set my computer up how it was before. I know, I know. Lame excuses. But at least you're here now reading. Right? I'm trying really hard to solve this case. But it's hard to get the timelines right. Poor detective people. Never realized how tough it was…I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I'm trying. I really am. Enjoy, and review! Note: Limited Tiva-ness on this. I'm trying to solve a case AND have some Tiva-ness. Bear with me...next chapter will be better.**_

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"Yes. Danny Lincoln and a No-Named man. We have security footage of the two. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. No, the Store Manger isn't a threat. And he won't be going anywhere with the weather coming through. Alright. We're on our way now." Ziva hung up the phone and looked at Tony. "He says McGee will have a go at the tapes when we come in. Now, Abby is searching for 'Danny Lincoln's in the area, and she'll run a facial recognition once we have the tapes."

Tony nodded and looked out the window as they passed a farm/ranch type of thing. "You'd think people would get tired of that." He commented, ignoring the summary of the conversation with Gibbs.

"What?"

"Playing farmer."

Ziva looked at him quizzically, wondering where exactly he was headed with this. "You never know. Those people might enjoy what they do. They might like 'playing farmer' as you say."

"Please, Ziva. Who would _voluntarily _do this?"

Ziva sighed. "I don't know, Tony. Maybe some people where raised differently from you. Maybe some people take pride in doing this and providing for there families like this. Maybe they LIKE farming. Maybe it gives them a sense of accomplishment. Now _what _is it with the comments!"

Tony looked at her with raised eyebrows.

Ziva sighed again. "I'm sorry. But honestly, why do you ask? Are _you _tired of doing _this _everyday."

"No. Not at all." Tony answered sincerely. As far as _she _could tell.

"Then what's the problem?"

Tony looked out at the road, and then fiddled with the radio, hoping to catch a signal. "I thought I would be."

It was Ziva's turn to raise her eyebrows.

"Ziva. Look at me. I'm not a man of commitment." (Ziva scoffed at this) "And sticking with this job…I don't know why I'm doing it. But I like it. I like doing what we do."

"You know, Tony. A job as a cop and a girl you found on the street…the same standards don't really apply for both."

Tony glared at her. "And anyway, I plan on sticking around. That's all."

"Good to know, Tony. Now let's go find Gibbs and McGee and get them these tapes." Ziva said as they pulled up to the Golan Inn.

* * *

"Abs?"

"Yeah, McGee?" Abby asked over the web cam.

"I'm sending you the footage of the two men, Danny Lincoln and the mystery man. Run them through facial recognition."

"Will do, Timmy. And hey, while I'm doing that, listen to this. Oh, and Gibbs might want to-"

"I'm here, Abs." Gibbs said, walking into the room and shoving McGee out from in front of the computer.

"I'm telling you Gibbs, you're-"

"Psychic, I know, Abs. Do you mind?"

"Oh, right. Okay, so there _is _a Danny Lincoln that stayed at the Inn a few weeks ago. I went back and hacked into the records from before, I know that McGee checked the more recent checks in. Anyway, he stayed for quite a while- a month- and there's record that your Officer, Louis Marinko, left some things to the side belonging to Lincoln, things he forgot, and Lincoln called to say he was going to get them later. Which would be the perfect time to poison Marinko." She said in one breath.

"Good work, Abs." Gibbs said with a small smile.

Abby beamed. "Do I get a Caf-Pow?"

There was a ding in the background. "I'm guessing that's Facial Recognition. Tell me what came up, and then."

Abby nodded. "Okay, Danny Lincoln. Yep, he has no record-"

"Then why is he in the system?" McGee piped up.

"Ex-cop. Worked for the NYPD from 1999 to 2004, and then left to 'pursue other interests'. He started a new car realtor business." Abby explained. "The other man took a bit more time to find. I had to loop through a bunch of databases before trying him on the NYPD one. But I found him on the same one. His story is a little more complicated." "Name, Abby?"

"Mr. Mysterious is Trevor Roads. Roads was also a cop, from 1999 to two years ago. He quit because of family matters. He got married to a Diane Bishop. The same Diane Bishop that was married to Louis Marinko. They both moved down to D.C after quitting."

"_Now _put that Caf-Pow on the tab, Abs. Great job." Gibbs said with a smile.

McGee bid Abby goodbye and said he'd call her if anything new came up. He then turned to Gibbs for further instruction.

"Okay. We have identities. Lincoln and Roads. And we know the connection between them and the victim. Now all we need to do is figure out Motive."

Ziva nodded. "Okay. I can look through the divorce records and the other files."

"I can help." Tony added.

Gibbs gave the two a look which they met unabashed. "Fine. McGee, send out a BOLO for Lincoln and Roads, and try and find this Diane Bishop Abby was talking about."

"On it, Boss." The three said as they left the room.

* * *

"Jethro, do you have a minute?" Ducky asked as Gibbs passed him. Gibbs turned back around and walked with Ducky.

"Talk to me, Duck."

"The poison. I identified it. Well, actually I _tried _to identify it. It's a mix. Judging by the amount of damage done, he'd have to have ingested it- probably in his food, or drink. Going by that, I'd say it was most likely a powder, or drops. I'm betting on powder."

"How would someone get their hands on a powder like this?"

"Quite easy really. Just need a knowledge of Chemistry."

"Just like our suspect. Thanks, Duck."

* * *

"Boss!"

"McGee. Did you put out the BOLOs and find Bishop?"

"Yes and no…well, sort of."

"Well? Where is she?"

"New York Cemetery. She's dead Gibbs."

"Dead?"

"Yeah, Boss. She was murdered."

"Murdered." Gibbs repeated, giving him a 'You've _got _to be kidding me' look.

McGee nodded. "Yes, a year ago. Closed the case. No leads."

Gibbs pulled out his phone. "Ziva. Timeline. I need a timeline. Bishop's dead."

"_Timeline. On it, Boss."_

"Where are you two?"

"_Um…"_

"Ziva."

"_Tony and I have the files up in my room."_

"I'm not going to ask. Just get me the timeline ASAP." He snapped the phone closed and turned back to McGee. "I need you to get Abby online and tell her to get the evidence for the Bishop case. You get the report. See if you can get _anything _there. And I mean _anything._"

* * *

Tony and Ziva were sitting on the big (yet old) motel bed, the files spread out around them.

"These are the divorce files?"

"Yes. And according to this one Diane Bishop and Louis Marinko got divorced three years ago. June of 2006." Ziva said reading from the divorce file.

"Why?"

"Why? I don't know why. Maybe she couldn't stand him."

"Maybe _he _couldn't stand _her._"

"Tony. We could do this all day."

"We could. Benefits. Of the divorce."

"Money. A lot of money. For her."

"Of course."

"Watch it, Tony."

"I'm just-"

"Okay. So she got the money. Remarried a year later. Trevor Roads. July of '07. Murdered somewhere around May of '08."

"Okay. Do we have anything that suggest Roads and Marinko knew each other?"

Ziva flipped opened her phone and called Abby. "Abby. It is Ziva. I need a favor. Can you send me all the phone records of Roads, Marinko, and Lincoln up to a year ago. And Bishop's a year before her death to the month she died. Thank you. I owe you, Abs." She turned to Tony. "She's sending them over."

"That's good." Tony said as he looked over the rest of the files. "Hey, look at this here." He leaned over to Ziva and handed her a file.

"What am I looking at?"

"There. Roads. He quit his job at the NYPD and moved down here two years ago because of Bishop."

"And he didn't get another job?"

"Nope. Economy's bad enough as it is. He couldn't get another job. That or Bishop wouldn't let him."

"Do you think that could make him kill her?"

"That. Possibly. And another thing. No job = no money."

"And she had a lot of money." Ziva said, catching on. "From Marinko."

"I think we just might have Motive." Tony said grinning.

"For one murder, at least."

* * *

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs?" Ziva called out coming out from the room.

"What? What? What!" Gibbs said as he walked down the hallway.

"We have Motive" Ziva said simply. "For the Bishop murder." She added as an afterthought.

"Ziva, you _do _know that our case is the murder of Officer Louis Marinko."

"Yes."

"_So_, I don't want to hear of the murder of Diane Bishop."

Tony chose to come up at that moment. "Even if I told you they were connected?"

"Depends. _Are _you telling me?"

Tony looked at Ziva. "Maybe. I have a theory."

Ziva sighed. "Oh, great."

"I think that Roads killed Bishop for the money. And Marinko wasn't completely over her, so he tried to contact her. When he couldn't, he might have gotten suspicious and Roads got scared, so he killed him. Or he left the package, which I'm willing to bet was the poison, at the store for Lincoln to pick up."

"I'm hearing a lot of 'mights' and 'maybes', DiNozzo."

"On it, Boss." Ziva said as she grabbed Tony's arm and went to find McGee.

* * *

"McGee!"

"Yeah, Ziva?"

"Did Abby send me anything?"

"Phone records, yeah. I looked over them."

"And?" Tony asked.

"Nothing too out of the ordinary. Lincoln and Roads _did _talk a little more on the days leading to Bishop's death."

"Do you think that can get us a warrant?" Ziva asked as she turned to Tony.

"Maybe. I don't know yet. McGeek? Hits on the BOLOs?"

"I'll check." McGee typed something on the screen. "Um…yes. A cop a few miles north of here saw Lincoln at…a hockey match? And a fed that lives in the next city over saw Roads at another Inn. They aren't flight risks. Right now it's 3:00. Yeah, there's a tornado coming in, in about an hour. They won't go anywhere."

Ziva sighed.

"What?" Tony asked.

"My 'gut', as you say, is telling me that they're both at the same Inn. It also tells me that Gibbs will make us go to said Inn."

"You'd be right about that, Ziva." Gibbs said as he walked into the room.

"On it, Boss." Tony and Ziva said with another sigh.

"Tony? Does this seem familiar to you?"

"Yeah. It's Déjà vu. Like in that one movie with-"

"Tony."

"Sorry."

"So. Shall we? The Anchor Inn."

"The Anchor Inn."

* * *

**_A/N: Okay. I have dragged this out for so long. And this was originally a one-shot. Do y'all at least _like _it? Anyway, I'm sorry. The stupid timelines keep messing me up. No wonder history isn't my best subject. The next chapter is going to be when they get stuck in an Inn during a tornado. I still haven't decided whether I should make them stuck in the Anchor Inn, or an Inn across from it, since they're looking for the suspects. Ideas? Next chapter WILL BE Tiva-y. I swear. I'm sorry if the case has caused you to lose your interest in the actual story. This is my first case file/ shippy piece. I hope you like it, and feedback is appreciated. Greatly appreciated. _**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note****: I am so sorry; I have been putting this off forever. And I've been meaning to post, too. Hopefully you're not too mad…are you? This is probably the last chapter, or second to last…but you know me. I tend to drag things out a bit. You probably will be seeing an epilogue. **

**Disclaimer****: As always, I don't own any of the NCIS characters, places, themes, etc.**

**Previously****: For those of you haven't read this in a while (I haven't either), Tony and Ziva are headed to the Anchor Inn where the two suspects, Danny Lincoln and Trevor Roads, are hiding. A tornado is on its way, but the question is: Will they solve the murder of Petty Officer Louis Marinko before the tornado wipes everything away? **

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"That doesn't look good." Tony said as he looked up at the sky through the windshield.

The wind was picking up and the sky had taken on a strange shade of gray. Like a greenish gray.

"This is how a tornado looks like?"

"You don't know how a tornado looks?"

"We did not have many of those in Israel."

"Yeah. It is. We have to hurry before the tornado hits. I don't wanna be caught in it."

Ziva nodded and cocked her gun.

"What's our plan?"

"Run in and threaten to shoot if they do not come with us?"

"We don't have enough evidence for that." Tony said with a frown.

"They do not know that."

Tony smiled. "I like your thinking, David."

Ziva's phone buzzed once. "McGee. The room numbers are 261 and 273. Lincoln and Roads respectively." She returned Tony's smile. "Let's do this."

Tony pulled up to the Anchor Inn; the contraction didn't go unnoticed by him. "Let's."

*********

It was a small Inn. Smaller than the Golan Inn, but it was just as nice. Tony and Ziva hesitantly walked up to the elderly lady at the desk.

"Hello! My name is Annie, how may I help you two? We have our honeymoon suite ready, if that's what you'd like." She said cheerfully. The lady was somewhere in her mid-fifties, slightly graying, but her looks were still attractive, such as those a former model might have. Her eyes still had a mischievous twinkle in them, and she looked out of place in the old country Inn.

Ziva blushed slightly. "No thank you. We are Federal Agents looking for a Danny Lincoln and Trevor Roads. Could you help us out, ma'am?" She asked, flashing her badge.

Annie's eyes lit up. "Ooooohhh…I knew they were trouble as soon as they walked in. _Are _they in trouble?"

Tony shook his head, brushing off the question. "Ma'am, if you'd just stay here until things are sorted out. Thank you."

The woman opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again, rethinking what she had to say. "Alright then."

She pointed out the way to the rooms and then took out her cell phone.

"Susie! Susie, guess who's here? Federal Agents! They had NCIS on their caps! Just like in _Deep Six_. Yeah. Un-huh, a man and a woman. No, it's not Lisa and- Well, no, I didn't ask…"

Tony and Ziva shook their heads as they heard the end of the conversation.

"I will kill McGee."

"I'll help you out there…after this case, of course."

"Agreed. I call Trevor."

**********

Room 273.

It looked just like any other room…except a murderer was behind it.

Ziva drew her gun and knocked on the door. "Trevor Roads! NCIS! Open up!" She shouted, knocking on the door.

She waited the required few seconds before kicking down the door. The wood splintered with a small crash and after the commotion died down Ziva took a step back at the sight in front of her.

"Tony! Tony, come here!"

**********

_I hate the country. _Tony thought as he reached room 262. _Nothing good ever happened in the country. Look at Arizona. Nothing good ever happened there. _

"Danny Lincoln! Danny Lincoln, this is NCIS, open up!"

No answer.

_Great. And NOW I get to mess up my new shoes and kick this door down. And he's probably not even _in _there. _

But then he heard Ziva. "Tony! Tony, come here!"

And the door was the last thing on his mind as he raced toward her, because Ziva sounded surprised. And maybe a little scared.

He ran down the hallway and took a left and saw her standing at the door (broken down, of course). A surprised frown was on her face, and she looked like she didn't know how to process the scene in front of her.

Tony drew his gun and gently stepped in front of her, and then he stepped back, too.

Danny Lincoln was dead.

Tony motioned for Ziva to take the rooms on the left inside the suite, and he would take the ones on the right.

"Clear!" He called after each room.

"Tony."

Tony walked over to her side.

Trevor Roads was sitting on the balcony of the Inn room, gun in his bloody hands.

"I never meant for every one to die like that." He choked out.

Tony took a step closer to the man and motioned for Ziva to call for backup.

"Who, Trevor?"

"But they all made me _so _mad." He went on as if he hadn't heard Tony.

"Violence doesn't solve anything."

"I couldn't get a job because of her…but she had money."

"So you killed her, huh?" Tony asked, still coming up to Roads. "You killed Diane Bishop?"

Ziva came back and stood behind Tony, gun drawn.

Trevor nodded. "But then _he _came. Asked too many questions. He figured it all out."

"Who, Marinko?"

Another nod.

"You killed him, too?"

"He got in the way…asked too many questions." Trevor said, staring out into the woods.

"Did Danny help you?"

Trevor nodded. "I made him. Not his fault."

"Why did you kill Danny?"

"He was going to tell…he was going to tell all the horrible things I've done. And then I would go to jail. And I…I can't go to jail. I can't. So, the way I see it…" He turned the gun around in his hands and Ziva's breath caught in her throat.

"Trevor." Tony warned. This was _not _going to be a suicide missions. Not if he could help it.

"I always prided myself in the fact that I could get anywhere I wanted in the world. Most of the time." Trevor said with a shrug.

"Is this really where you want to get?" Tony asked. "You know…killing yourself. It's not going to solve anything."

"The world would be a better place if I weren't there."

Ziva stepped out from behind Tony and put her gun away. "Do you really believe that?" She asked softly.

Trevor looked up at her. After a few minutes he smiled. "You have her eyes."

"Whose?" Ziva asked curiously.

"Nicole's."

"Your sister?" Ziva asked, the name tugging on something in her memory.

Trevor smiled. "She's only 20."

"And this is the way that you want her to remember you? 'Picking your own path?' or however you put it? Is it?"

Trevor's hold on the gun slackened.

"You know…I had a sister once. And a brother." Ziva said quietly.

"Once?" Trevor asked, picking up on the sentence structure.

"Yes. She passed away. And I regretted things immediately. Things I had not told her…things I had not done with her. And you know…you, you have this wonderful chance to still talk to your sister-"

"But I'll be in jail."

"But you will be _alive. _And your sister will try and understand that, because that is what siblings _do. _Try to understand."

"You know she's right, Trevor. They do. But your sister wouldn't understand why you'd want to kill yourself."

Trevor let out a heavy sigh and nodded. He took the gun and dropped it on the floor, kicking it away from him.

Ziva gently touched Tony's arm.

Tony watched the take Danny's bloodied body away, and watched the cops take Trevor away in handcuffs.

"It's over." Ziva whispered.

Tony nodded. "I guess Trevor sorta went by the dictum 'All's fair in love and war'."

"I guess he did."

Tony looked out the window as crime scene officers crowded around the scene. The storm was getting closer.

Tony put his arm around Ziva's shoulders. "Come on. No use driving all the way back. We'll stay in one of the rooms here."

Ziva nodded. "So, which one of us is going to face Annie?"

"Ladies first." Tony said with a smile.

Ziva chuckled and walked down to the main desk.

**********

"Did y'all get them? Did you?"

"I guess we did…one of them, at least." Ziva answered.

Annie's eyes widened. "He killed the other one? Ooooohhh!!!! I gotta call Susie!"

"Um, excuse me! Before you call this 'Susie', could we have a room for the night? With the storm coming…"

"A room? Of course! On the house. Here's the card. Room 307. Enjoy your stay!" Annie said excitedly as she went to call her best friend.

Ziva walked back to Tony, shaking her head. "Nice woman."

"Very."

**********

A flash of lightning hit and Ziva jumped. "I hate lightning."

Tony chuckled. "Let's go up to _our room._" He said, taking the key.

It was going to be an interesting night.

**********

"Yeah Boss. Killed Lincoln and basically turned himself in… after some smooth talkin' from Ziva. You should of seen it- No, you and McGee stay at the Golan, storm's about to come in. We got a room at the Anchor." A few more un-huh's and mmm's later, Tony snapped the phone shut.

"Gibbs say anything good?"

"Said to make sure that the tornado doesn't blow us away. We got paperwork to do when we got back."

"Oh ha-ha. I am going to take a shower and go to bed. Annie left us pajamas in the room." Ziva said, rolling her eyes.

Half an hour later, Tony and Ziva were standing at the foot of the bed, arms crossed.

"For goodness sake's, Tony, we are both adults!"

Tony shook his head. "It's not gonna work. One of us will be dead by morning."

"It will not be the first time…"

"Are you sure about it?"

"Yes, Tony. It's only a bed."

"_One _bed, Ziva."

Ziva threw her hands up in exasperation. "Fine. Stand there and complain. I am going to bed. Feel free to join me, or, if you prefer the floor, there is that as well."

Tony frowned and laid down, pulling the covers and mumbling angrily.

Ziva rolled her eyes again. "Good night, Tony."

"Night, Ziva."

_Ziva's Dreams_

_The thunder crashed as her feet pounded the floor of the Inn. It's chasing her, and there is nowhere to run. _

_The hallways twist and turn and turn and twist into a maze. A number of never ending corridors. _

_A flash of something white. A person. But not. _

"He didn't have to kill them. Kill me."

_A voice whispering through the darkness. Three voices. Two men and a woman. _

_More running. _

_More chasing. _

"They were pointless, our deaths."

"Stay away!"

_A light at the end of the hallways. _

_Ziva slowed down, breathing hard. _

_She reached for her gun, but it wasn't there. _

_She inched forward and kicked the door at the end of the hall open, and then she staggered back. _

_In front of her the bruised, bloodied body of Danny Lincoln laid motionless, eyes empty. _

_As she staggered back she bumped into someone- Danny Lincoln. _

"Pointless."

_Ziva screamed as she shoved the "ghost" Lincoln away from her…running and not looking back…_

"Ziva! Ziva!"

Ziva stopped struggling long enough to realize Tony was next to her, trying to calm her down.

"Ziva, it's alright, I'm right here." He said firmly; gently.

Ziva looked up at Tony with wide eyes. She buried her head in his chest as she tried to shake the images out of her head.

Tony stroked her hair and held her close to him. There was no doubt about it, he was worried. He was almost asleep when he heard Ziva mumbling in her sleep, and tossing and turning. And then she screamed, and he was pretty sure that there were tears on her face.

"Come on, Ziva." He said after a minute. "Storm's getting pretty bad. We should go wake Annie and then go in the bathroom.

Ziva nodded but stayed close to Tony.

"Come on." He repeated softly, tugging on her arm and standing up with his arm around her waist.

They grabbed their guns and phones and headed into the bathroom.

* * *

**Author's Note: ****Alright, so I lied. One or two more chapters after this. You see, originally the next chapter, 6, was supposed to be the second half of this one, but this chapter was getting too long. Good news though, only Tiva to focus on now! Case solved! I already started chapter 6 (though I haven't exactly been in a tornado before, so I might have to research a little- or if anyone is in a helpful mood they could send me a PM with how it's like in a tornado?), and it should be up pretty soon. Though I have other things I need to update as well. Anyone want to tell me how I'm doing? Please? **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer****: I don't own any of the NCSI characters, places, themes, etc. All I own are my Original Characters. **

**Author's Note****: Here I go, Chapter 6! Hopefully you liked the last chapter, and the Tiva-ness (though limited). And I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well (especially since it'll have more Tiva). Please leave a review, and I hope you all like this. If you find any mistakes…please tell me. Constructive criticism is always welcome. **

**Previously****: Last chapter, Trevor Roads killed Danny Lincoln at the Anchor Inn, and he was almost going to commit suicide, but Tony and Ziva talked him out of it. Cops came and locked him up, and Tony and Ziva decided to stay at the Inn for the night because of the tornado coming. They had to share a bed, and Ziva started having a nightmare about Danny Lincoln's ghost sort of haunting her. Tony comforted her…and now here we are. **

* * *

They were on their way to the bathroom when Tony stopped in his tracks. "I am an idiot."

Ziva looked at him quizzically, too shaken up to agree with his statement. Then she shrunk against him as thunder cracked.

Tony smiled apologetically and pulled her to the closet next to the bathroom door. " I didn't even stop to think that I might wanna be prepared for this." He looked up at Ziva and explained, "Some Inns in the area keep emergency packs in case of natural disasters. Usually have flashlights, first aid kits, water bottles, non perishable food, things like that."

Ziva nodded and brought a blanket and their clothes and handed them to Tony. "I am going to warn Annie." There was still fear in her eyes.

Tony opened his mouth to protest, but then he saw the determination there as well. He closed it again and nodded.

**********

"Annie! Annie! Storm's coming!" Ziva said as she knocked on the door she knew belonged to Annie.

Tony came up behind her, one backpack over his shoulder and the other in his hand. "Contraction Ziva, nice." He handed her a backpack and went to knock on the doors of the two other occupants (whose room numbers were on the earlier text from McGee).

A minute later Annie opened her door, backpack in hand. "Where are you two headed?" She asked in that grandmotherly tone.

"The bathroom?" Ziva asked hesitantly.

Annie shook her head, "City folk," she said rolling her eyes. "Basement's better. We got it all set up for a tornado."

Just then the door of a room down the hall opened.

A young woman, around 25, came out of the room. She had her backpack on her back, a baby in her arms, and a diaper bag on her shoulder. She was a very pretty, slim woman with curly brunette hair and bright blue eyes. Right now, though, her face was flustered. The baby in her arms was crying and she was trying to balance everything.

Ziva came and gently took the diaper bag from her, slinging it over her own shoulder. The woman smiled gratefully. "Thank you…"

"…Ziva. Ziva David. This is my partner Tony DiNozzo."

"My name is Gracie. Gracie Smith. This is Lily. Nice to meet you all."

They were interrupted by the second door opening.

A handsome young man (brown hair, blue eyes, athletic build) around Gracie's age opened the door and stepped out, German Shepard on his heels.

"Mark Sullivan, Sully. And this is Karli; she's an ex-police dog. Thanks for the warning."

"Ziva David, Tony DiNozzo, Gracie Smith, Lily, and Annie." Ziva listed. "But we really do not have time for introductions. We should go NOW."

**********

It was a small basement. Small, but comfortable.

Steps led down the north wall and then made a left turn at the middle of the wall, dividing it in two. A pool table sat in the corner to the right of the staircase, making a nice little alcove. On the other side of the staircase there was an old couch with a TV set in front of it, and a bookshelf behind that, creating another nice niche. The west wall was lined with dusty shelves full of jars of preservatives and jams and jellies, as well as old wooden toys and a small, modern radio set. The south wall had a nice section of carpet. There was a wooden rectangular chest in the middle, a bed/couch to the right of it, and an old playpen/crib on the left. The middle of the basement was just a nice rug.

Annie was sitting on the old couch in the corner with the baby, TV set on. Gracie and Sully were playing pool by the staircase, laughing and joking around. Tony and Ziva were sitting on the floor against the wooden chest, Karli by Ziva's side.

The crashes of thunder and loud winds were ignored by most of the group (Lily was asleep), but Ziva's nightmare replayed in her head, now that the commotion of getting to the basement was over.

They were sitting side-by-side, Tony's arm around Ziva's shoulder, and her head resting on _his _shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Tony whispered in her ear, loud enough for only her to hear.

"I…I do not know."

"Wanna tell me what you were dreaming about?" He asked gently.

She shivered involuntarily.

"You know, Zi. You don't have to. But I'll always be here…if you wanna talk." He said as he pushed a strand of her hair away from her face.

A tear slid down her face and he wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. She moved closer to him and he hugged her.

Karli whined and pressed closer.

"It…he was chasing me. I was running, but I couldn't run fast enough. He was better and faster and he cornered me. And I heard him- them. They asked why. Why they had to die."

"Who, Ziva?"

"Lincoln. Mostly Lincoln. But Marinko and Bishop as well."

Tony put his chin on her head. "They won't get you. I'm here."

Ziva nestled closer to him, trying to block out the whirling, train-like sound of the storm.

Annie walked over to the pair and gently placed Lily in the crib. Karli immediately stood up and situated herself closer to the baby. She watched over her like a doting aunt.

Annie then brought the backpack over with her and sat on the floor. "Rough day?"

Tony nodded. "Sure has been."

"Tornado doesn't make it any easier, does-" Annie was interrupted by a thunderous crash and the electricity shutting off.

"No, it doesn't." Tony murmured as the backup generator kicked in.

The room was encased with an eerie, yellow light. Odd shadows filled the room, giving it that horror movie persona.

Gracie and Sully came over to the group, the game of pool coming to an end when the power went out. Gracie took Lily from her crib and sat on the couch/bed, Sully sat down next for her and put his arm around her.

Ziva sighed and pulled back from Tony.

"You alright, hun?" Annie asked softly, handing her a granola bar.

Ziva smiled her thanks, but it didn't reach her eyes. "No, but I am getting there."

She leaned back against Tony, who stretched his legs out and pulled her back against him.

"Karli? Can you get the radio?" Sully asked-not ordered.

Karli fetched the radio and then sat by Annie on the floor.

Annie fiddled with the radio a bit before the room was filled with a static sound. A little more fiddling and she found a news broadcast's signal. "…experts say it's only a 1 on the Fujita scale. Damage is limited to fallen trees and debris-blocked roadways. Small amounts of flooding _have _been reported in low areas. Meteorologists have said that the storm is predicted to be over in another half hour. Remember! During a tornado the best thing to do is to find shelter in a basement or a storm cellar. If one is not available than find a nice closet to hide in. If you are outside find a nice low ditch to lay in and cover your head-"

Annie switched off the radio.

"We are going to be here a while, yes?" Ziva murmured as she pet Karli.

Gracie nodded. "Yeah…those Meteorologists never get their timing quite right."

"So…we should get to know each other." Ziva continued as if she hadn't heard Gracie. "It would give us something to do."

Tony chuckled. "Reminds me of camp. Without the marshmallows…or campfire…or mosquitoes."

Sully smiled. "Sure. We'll tell you about ourselves. If _you _return the favor."

"Agreed." Ziva said, the curiosity getting to her.

"Well…I could start off." Annie said as she ran her hand through Karli's fur. "I grew up in Kansas, so tornadoes like this were normal. I moved to New York City a while later…I got offered a modeling job there. Later I ditched modeling and became a journalist for the New York Times. Later I decided to move here."

"Why'd you do that?" Gracie asked; curious.

"My husband, bless his soul, died a few years ago. Susie offered to move here with me…to many memories back in New York."

A chorus of 'I'm sorrys' went through the room.

Annie shrugged. "Happened a long time ago…anyway, my brother-in-law bought this Inn and offered to let me run it."

"I bet you've seen some interesting things in your days." Sully said politely.

"You'd like Gibbs, our Boss." Tony said pensively. His eyes were focused on Ziva, and how she was petting Karli and growling at her playfully.

Gracie smiled softly at Sully, as if to say 'Look at that'. He nodded. He knew.

A second of silence. "What about you, Tony?" Gracie asked as she handed Lily to Sully while she reached for her diaper bag and took out the things to make her a bottle.

"Ziva and I work for NCIS, which stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service. We solve crimes having to do with Navy/Military personnel. Jethro Gibbs is our Boss, and we work with our computer geek, McGee to solve crimes. Abby Sciuto…she's an amazing forensic scientist…we couldn't solve cases without her, or our ME, Ducky Mallard, and his assistant, Jimmy Palmer. I, myself used to work for the NYPD, until I moved over here."

"You did not mention the constant movie references…" Ziva said looking up from Karli. "Or the Italian background…or the amazing cooking…"

Tony smiled at her. "Thank you."

She beamed back at him. "No problem."

"So, Ziva. Where are you from?" Sully questioned.

"Israel. I was transferred here as a liaison before joining the team. Tony already told you about what we do."

"But I didn't tell them how you kick ass. Or how you can speak a million different languages."

She smiled. "Why thank you."

"Est-ce que tu parles Français?" Sully asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Mais oui. Tres bien, est-ce que penses-tu?"

Sully laughed. "I do." He looked toward the rest of the group and explained, "I asked if she spoke French. She replied that she did. Very well didn't I think."

"What's _your _background?" Tony asked.

"I'm an ex-police officer. I was shot during an assignment, in the leg, and my family didn't want me to be part of the squad anymore. I compromised and became a Detective instead. When I don't have any cases I work as an architect."

Gracie finished making Lily's bottle and took her back from him. "_I'm _a single mom. Lily's father ran out on us before she was born. My sister helps watch Lily while I work. I'm a clinical psychologist who sometimes works as a forensic psychologist, helping the police out and things like that."

Tony insisted on everyone swapping out emails and phone numbers. Telling everyone to keep in touch and call if they ever had any news, or needed any help or anything.

The storm quieted down by the time they finished exchanging the information.

"You know, you guys are pretty cool." Gracie said as she collected all her things and shoved them in the backpack and diaper bag.

"Same for you all." Tony said as he worked on getting all of his things.

Ziva stood with him, hitching her backpack on her shoulder. "I think Tony and I will go see how it is outside." Ziva said as she nodded, reassuring herself that it was okay.

Tony looked up at her and nodded.

"Take Karli with you." Sully said, knowing that there would be no use arguing with the couple.

Tony gave a low whistle and Karli came to his side.

"Ziva, behind me."

Ziva frowned. "I can take care of myself, Tony."

Tony chuckled and looked back. "Ziva's back, everyone." Ziva drew her gun. "And she has a gun." Tony drew his, too, and turned back to the door.

"Ladies first." Ziva said, pushing past Tony.

She opened the door carefully, Karli at her heels.

The Inn was intact for the most part. The two west windows were blown out, and there were a few leaves and twigs blown in. there was minimum water damage, but a few of the arm chairs _did _have water stains on them.

"It is over?"

"Yeah, Ziva. Look, it's over."

Tony motioned for her to look out one of the windows close to her. In the distance, a small funnel was slowly spinning until it finally broke apart and disappeared.

"Karli. Go get Sully and the others." Tony said, looking out at the horizon. He put his arm around Ziva and they looked out the window together. "Ziva, do you remember that house a mile down…the one we passed on our way here? We should go check it out. Make sure everything's okay."

"Don't bother." Annie said, coming out of the basement with the others following. "That house has been empty for years."

Tony nodded. "Ziva, get Gibbs on the phone. Fill him in. Sully and I will work on clearing out this debris."

Ziva nodded. "Gracie, you can come freshen up while Annie checks to see if everything is accounted for."

**********

"Gibbs?"

"_Ziva? Are you two okay? We heard about the storm." _

"We are fine, as are the other occupants of the Inn. Did the storm hit your area?"

"_Nah. We just got a little rain and wind. McGee said the worse was in your area-"_

"And we did not have it that bad."

"_When are you heading up?"_

Ziva looked at Gracie, who was changing Lily's clothes ad diaper. "We have a few things to take care of here. We will be home by dawn."

"_Alright. We'll wait up for you, and then we can all head back home. You sure you're fine?"_

Ziva rolled her eyes. "Bye, Gibbs."

"_Mhm." _

Ziva and Gracie walked down the hall to the lobby, changed and cleaned up. They were surprised to see that the guys had already cleared the room and replaced the windows. The armchairs were taken outside to air dry, and the curtains were taken down and hung outside on the clothing wire.

Ziva's eyes went wide. "Tony! Our car!" She said, the thought dawning on her.

"Our car is fine." Tony assured her. "And everyone else's are in the garage."

"Gibbs wants us back by dawn…" She said quietly after a moment.

Tony looked around at Lily playing with Karli and Grace and Sully watching them nearby. Annie was smiling at the pair and making sure her cash and everything was still there…though most of it was in the safe.

"Are you all gonna be okay?" Tony asked, glancing around.

Annie smiled. "Yeah, don't you worry about us. We country folk stay together. And we'll call or write if anything happens."

Gracie matched Annie's smile. "And if you want to contact us for the next few weeks…we'll probably be here, at the Inn, helping Annie out."

Sully however frowned. "You two must be starving after that. Why don't you stay for one meal? A nice dinn- breakfast?"

Tony's stomach rumbled. "That would be nice."

After a nice breakfast of warm biscuits and orange juice, the two said their final goodbyes and walked up to their SUV.

Ziva took a look outside before heading in the car. She didn't even ask to drive. "I am going to miss this place. These people."

"We'll hear from them again."

"Is that your famous 'gut' speaking?"

Tony shook his head. "Friendship."

"Tornadoes bring people together, yes?"

Tony put his arm around her. "Yes. Especially on nights like these."

* * *

**Author's Note: ****Man, that was a long chapter. I think I did pretty well. Not as well as I'd like, but well enough. I didn't even **_**plan **_**for it to end like that; it just did. This is the last "official" chapter, with just an epilogue coming later. I love my OCs in this chapter (Annie, Gracie, Sully, Lily, Karli), and this is NOT the last you will be seeing of them. I tend to tie up ALL story lines at the end of a fic. The faster you review, the faster I update! Thank you!!!**


	7. The Very Long Epilogue

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, it's been awhile since I thought of this fic. I started writing the epilogue a while ago, but I didn't finish it until recently. I'm sorry for those of you who have been waiting for this; hopefully it's worth it. I have to warn you, it's a rather long chapter, with many subsections…and there's WAY more Jibbs in this than I planned, but it's my favorite ship…so, yeah. I just wanted to give one big thanks to everyone who's read this, reviewed it, alerted/favorited it (or me)…if you've done anything, thank you. So, here it is, enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own any of the NCIS characters, places, themes, plots, etc. Only the plot and original characters are mine.

* * *

_Drinks and Returns _

It was late at night when Ducky, Gibbs, McGee, Tony, and Ziva made it back to NCIS headquarters at the Navy Yard.

"You're back!" Abby squealed as she ran into Gibbs' open arms.

"We weren't gone _that _long, Abs."

"I _know, _Gibbs. But it _felt _like forever." She said as she pulled back and hugged everyone else.

"You didn't have to wait up, Abby." McGee said as he led her to his desk and started putting his gear away.

"I know! But I drank a lot of CafPow…"

"And the Director just _let _you stay?" Tony asked curiously.

"Yeah. She was very nice about it. Actually, I don't think _she _left either." Abby said, shrugging, as she sat on McGee's desk swinging her legs back and forth.

Gibbs sighed at that.

"Yes, well, I do believe she just wanted to make sure we all got back safely." Ducky said as he watched the four agents put up their things.

"I'll have to talk to her about that." Gibbs said as he ran his hand over his cheek. "Team, you did good. Take tomorrow off."

The team sat in shock.

"Go!"

"It's just…you haven't said that in a while, Boss." Tony said as he looked in wonder.

Ziva shook her head, the first to break out of the trance. "Shall we go to the _Lucky 7 _for drinks?"

"Ah, yes. I'll join you as soon as I leave my equipment back in Autopsy."

"I'll help you." McGee offered.

He followed Ducky to the elevator, and Tony and Ziva were quick to follow. "Bye Gibbs!" They called as they left.

Abby, however, stayed seated on the desk, feet still swinging freely.

"You should come with us, Gibbs. Drinks…it'll be fun."

"Abs, go." Gibbs said kindly, coming to stand in front of her.

"Aw, come on Gibbs!"

"I'll be there later. I promise. I just need to brief Jenny on case details."

Abby rolled her eyes as she hopped off the desk. "Riiiight."

Gibbs shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Have fun. And Abs, good work."

* * *

"Jethro." Jenny acknowledged as he walked into her office.

"Abby told me you were still working." He said almost accusingly as he leaned against the edge of her desk.

Jenny looked at him from under her glasses and then took them off, sighing, "I had work to do."

"Mhm."

"And Abby informed me - informed _everyone _- that you're team would be back today."

"Ah."

"What does _that _mean?"

"We solved the case." He said, ignoring her question.

"I knew you would." She said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

"Yeah."

"Go home, Jethro. Get some sleep."

"I could say the same for you."

"I have work to do." She said, gesturing to the open files on her desk.

Gibbs flipped them closed. "It'll wait."

Jenny sighed. She hated when he could get to her like that. Jethro was pretty much the only one she would stop work for. That had proven true throughout the years.

"Come on, Jen. The gang's all down at the _7, _you should come, too."

"Jethro-o."

"That usually means you're about to give in."

"Nuh-uh!" Jenny protested childishly.

"Your right eye always twitches when you're lying…" He reminded her. "I'll drive. Didn't see your car out front so that means you took the Subway to work."

Jenny threw her hands in the air. "Fine!" But a smile was tugging at her lips.

Gibbs smiled as he waited for her to lock everything up.

Jenny, however, frowned. "Oh no. You do NOT get to say 'I told you so'."

"Wow, look who it is!" McGee said, surprised.

"Abby smiled upon seeing Gibbs and Jenny walk into the bar. She waved at them and turned back to McGee. "I told you so."

_Six Months Later_

"Bill. Bill. Bill." Tony said as he flipped through his mail. He sighed. "Whatever happened to good ole' fashion letters?" He asked, sitting on the edge of his desk. "I mean, there's just something about the drama…Waiting months until your overseas lover got the letter…of course, by then, the 'lover' probably already found someone a little closer to home, if you know what I mean…and somewhere in there an illegitimate child is thrown in…"

"Sounds like a movie." McGee commented as he typed away on his keyboard.

"Movie? Movie…movie…nope. Sounds more like something out of the Boss' life."

"What about my life, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as he walked into the Bullpen.

Tony sat up from the desk. "I was just saying how you seemed to have a…uh, well…um…I got nothing, Boss." Tony admitted as he squeezed his eyes shut for the head slap.

But it didn't come.

Gibbs walked to his desk, going through a similar stack of envelopes like Tony had moments ago. "Tell me, DiNozzo. _Why _do I have a letter addressed to you and Ziva…and right below that it says 'Tom' and 'Lisa'?"

Ziva jumped up and snatched the letter from Gibbs' hand. "Tony, it is from them!"

Tony laughed and came to stand behind her. "Ha! I _knew _it!"

McGee and Gibbs looked at each other - confused.

"When did he shoot the question?" Ziva asked as she tore open the envelope.

"_Pop _the question. And a few days ago. Read it!"

Ziva opened the envelope and read off of the stiff, light purple paper. It was a generic invitation. "You, Ziva David and Tony DiNozzo, are cordially invited to the wedding of Gracie Smith and Mark Sullivan on Saturday, December 5th, 2009, at 7:00pm, at the Casa Hotel at-" She read but was interrupted by Tony taking the envelope.

"Look, there's another piece of paper." He said as he shook out the written note. "How are y'all (and by that I mean Tony, since you're probably the one reading this)? I know, I know. It's happened. Sully and I are about to get married. Annie is coming as well; we still stay in touch with her. Please come, and please feel free to bring all those Agents friends we heard so much about. After all, _we _probably wouldn't have met if it weren't for the tornado, and those friends seem interesting. Thanks again, and please RSVP by phone or email." He read.

Gibbs smiled. "Those your friends from the case few months back?"

Ziva nodded and bent down over her computer to send an email to Gracie. "And that means that you, Abby, McGee, Ducky, and Jenny are invited as well."

"Oh, and we need time off to travel to Florida…that being where the hotel is." Tony added.

Gibbs sighed. "I'll talk to Jenny about it."

A cheer went up from the team, and even Gibbs had to crack a smile.

* * *

"A _wedding_! McGee, that is _so _sweet! Are these the Tornado friends that Ziva and Tony talk so much about? That's great! I _love _meeting new people-"

"Abby!"

"Yes, McGee?" Abby asked innocently as she continued typing a report.

"I know you're excited, but don't you want to know where-"

"Wear? Oh my gosh, McGee, what am I gonna wear? I have to go shopping…you think I could go with Ziva…or maybe Director-"

"Abby!"

"_What, _McGee?"

"It's in Florida," McGee began quickly, "And Gibbs hasn't even cleared it with Jenny yet, so don't get _too _excited."

"Florida! I had a boyfriend from there. Whoever said long distance relationships don't work was wrong…one time we went on a camping trip and -" Abby turned away from her typing. "McGee!" She called to the empty room. Finally she shrugged. She had a dress to find.

* * *

"Jenny!" Gibbs called as he barged into the Director's office.

Jenny took off her glasses and sighed. "Maybe I should get one of those motion sensors…or a camera…or guard." She mused aloud.

"Hilarious, Jen." Gibbs said, rolling his eyes. He came in and sat in the chair in front of her, leaning towards her over the desk. "I need a favor. Two favors. Actually, well, one favor leads into the other favor -"

Jenny interrupted him. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Listen to yourself, you sound like Abby." She said teasingly. "If one didn't know you better they'd say you were _nervous_."

Gibbs chuckled. "Mhm. Really, Jenny?"

"What do you want, Jethro?"

"Tony and Ziva got a letter from a friend inviting them to a wedding in Florida."

"Yeah?"

"They want a week off..."

"They deserve it."

"Everyone was invited…McGee, Abby, Ducky, me…_you_."

"_Really_?"

He looked in her eyes. "_I _want you to come, Jen."

"Really?"

"Yep." Here it was… "As my date."

"_Really_?"

"We've _got _to expand your vocabulary."

"A date?"

"Yep."

"Hmmm…"

"_So_?"

A pensive frown formed on her face. "I guess Vance could take over for a few days…He's pretty capable. All right, Jethro. It's a date." She said, smiling.

"It's a date." Gibbs repeated, flashing her a smile. He leaned across the desk and kissed her cheek. "I owe ya, Jen."

Jenny laughed. "Yeah. You know how much I hate weddings."

_Dresses _

"After three wives you seriously think this is a good idea, Boss?" Tony asked as he, McGee, and Gibbs walked toward the mall following the three ladies.

"I have to agree, Boss…" McGee said nervously.

Gibbs' eyes narrowed as he stared at the big building. "Didn't say it was a _good _idea."

"You can say that again." Tony said under his breath, receiving a head slap in the process.

"Let's just get this over with." Gibbs said before walking up next to Jenny.

"Jenny, throw the green dress over when you are finished with it." Ziva called over the stall wall.

"If you give me the brown one."

"Come out and see how this one looks on me!" Abby called a stall down.

The two stalls opened and Jenny and Ziva smiled at Abby's dress.

Abby twirled around and looked at herself in the mirror. "Do you like it?"

The dress was a dark purple; not too long, not too short. Just knee-length, with the bottom jagged. There was a piece of black cloth around her waist that came down her front.

"It's beautiful, Abby!" Jenny said sincerely.

"Really, really pretty." Ziva agreed. "Go show McGee."

"You think he'll like it?" Abby asked, chewing her lip.

"Of course he will!" Jenny said giving her a push toward the door.

"McGee? You ready?" Abby asked, peeking around the doorframe.

McGee was sitting next to Gibbs as Tony paced, bored. HE snapped his phone shut (he'd been playing solitaire) and nodded. "Come on out."

She walked out in front of them, almost shyly. "What do you think?" She asked.

McGee could only stare, but he reached behind himself and instinctively head slapped Tony for staring.

"I was um, thinking I could uh, put my hair up in a bun, ya know?" She said hesitantly.

Gibbs stood and head slapped both McGee and Tony. He smiled at Abby. "I think what McGee's trying to say is that you look beautiful, Abby."

Abby hugged McGee. "Timmy! You _always _know what to say."

Gibbs chuckled. "You ladies find something you like?"

"Hold on, Jethro!" Jenny called out angrily.

Gibbs sighed. "You want me to zip it up for you?"

Jenny opened her stall door and peaked out around the doorway. She had a pouting look on her face and nodded.

He walked into the front of the changing room sand was taken aback by Jenny in the dress.

It was a chocolate brown dress that had a silky look to it. The dress was strapless and had a hem that was slightly ruffled and started off shorter, then became longer as you went from left to right.

Jenny smiled and turned her back to face him. Gibbs finally snapped out of it and stepped forward, running his rough hands across her smooth shoulders. She shivered slightly. Gibbs chuckled and zipped the dress up. "Perfect." He whispered in her ear.

She turned around and twirled in front of him. "Really?"

"Mhm."

"I'm going to show them."

Gibbs nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"-So, the other nuns were the ones with the advantage, but we still-" Abby broke off when she saw Jenny and Gibbs. "Jenny!"

Tony and McGee turned around. "Director!" They said in unison.

"It's beautiful, Jenny." Abby said as she grabbed Jenny's hand and spun her around.

Jenny grinned. "Then it's a keeper."

"Ahem." Ziva said, clearing her throat. "May _I _join?"

Everyone turned to look at her.

Ziva was also in a strapless dress. It was an almost olive-y color, and it was scrunched around her knees. Tony smiled and held his hand out to her.

"_Very _beautiful." He said as she took it.

Ziva blushed. "Thank you." Then she turned to Abby and Jenny. She gestured toward the changing room. "Shall we?"

"Let's go."

"Maybe it wasn't a _horrible _idea." Tony said, as he looked their way.

_Jenny's House_

"Thanks for taking us shopping!" Abby said as she hugged Gibbs in the parking lot. "Timmy's gonna take me home."

"You're welcome, Abs. See you Monday."

"Me and Ziva are heading out, too." Tony said as he fumbled for his keys. "Night."

"Goodnight, Tony. Ziva." Jenny said as Gibbs nodded at them.

* * *

Jenny walked a few steps ahead of Gibbs, boots crunching on the gravel. "This was fun." She said as she turned to walk backwards.

"Shopping's _always _fun for women."

Jenny smiled. "Exactly."

They reached the car when Jenny turned to stand in front of him. "Jethro, thanks."

He smiled and kissed her cheek, understanding exactly what she meant. "Let's get you home."

"Jethro…"

"What?" It was her 'I-want-something' voice.

"Can I drive?"

Gibbs sighed and threw her the keys. "Sure, Jen." He said, rolling his eyes.

* * *

It was pretty late at night when Jenny parked in front of her house. "Naomi must already have left." She mused aloud. "Never mind though, I can make us coffee…and the liquor cabinet is full." She said, eyes lighting up.

"Lead the way."

"Right, like you've never been in my house before."

Gibbs chuckled. "Come on."

They sat across from each other in the study, sipping bourbon as the fire crackled next to them.

"I remember doing this," She said, gesturing to the bourbon opened on the table in front of her, "In the evenings when we weren't on the job. We would just sit - in silence - and drink together." She said, whispering. It seemed appropriate for the moment.

Gibbs smiled. "You used to hate bourbon."

"I liked rum." She said, turning slightly and crossing her legs. "You still don't know why I changed to bourbon, do you?"

Gibbs shook his head.

"I kissed you." She said simply. "At the Atkins' dinner party…and you'd been drinking bourbon."

"Really?" He asked, smiling that lopsided grin of his.

She laughed. "Yeah."

"Mhm."

"Now I love the stuff."

"Huh."

"Don't you 'huh' me." She said before staring out at the light rain. "I'll be right back." She said, standing and going up to her room.

Gibbs stared after her in mild confusion. She came back with a book in her arms; he recognized it to be a scrapbook (second wife, long story). It was old and worn; leather by the looks of it.

She sat down next to him; legs crossed, and opened the book in her lap. Gibbs leaned closer to her, curious as to what was in this "scrapbook".

Pictures. Lots of pictures of the times before, when they were agents together. They spent practically all night looking at pictures of Paris, Moscow, and Serbia. Gibbs laughed at the picture of Ducky on a particular cliff.

They were nice memories, and the two of them just sat there, going through them while the rain slowly intensified.

Gibbs woke up somewhere during the night. His arms were wrapped around a sleeping Jenny, as she lay curled against his chest. The book was open at her feet.

He smiled and repositioned himself, closing his eyes and going back to sleep.

_Tony's House_

"It really is a nice dress." Ziva murmured as she placed the garment bag into the trunk of Toy's car.

"_I _like it." Tony said as he unlocked his car.

"I'm happy for Gracie and Sully." Ziva said as she slipped into the passenger's seat.

"So am I, Sully mentioned that he might ask her a few weeks ago."

"When did they move to Florida?"

"About a month ago. Annie moved with them. Susie did, too. I think that Annie's going to be the nanny."

"And why did I not here about this?"

"I don't know. You're the agent, you tell me."

* * *

Tony pulled up to his house at around 10 at night. Ziva was curled up on the seat, her head on the armrest between the seats. Tony's arm was around her shoulders, and she was loosely holding on to his hand.

"Ziva…wake up."

Ziva stirred. "Where are we?"

"My lace. Flooding closed the main road that leads to your place."

"Mmmm." She said, stretching slightly. "I am staying here then?"

"Yep. I'm sure you can find something of mine to wear…actually, I'm sure you could probably find something of _yours._"

Ziva chuckled. "Shall we then?"

"Come on. We have a plane to catch in two days, and packing to do."

"I will help you if you help me."

"Deal."

_Plane Rides and Peanuts_

"What do you mean I can't bring my perfume?" Jenny asked the man at the carry-on checkpoint.

"Ma'am, this bottle is 3.6 oz. The Federal Aviation Administration clearly states that no bottles containing such liquids shall weigh more than 3 oz." The man said in a monotone and clearly bored voice.

"The hell it does!" Jenny said as she dug around in her purse for her badge. "Besides, the bottle isn't even FULL!" She flashed her badge and the man took a moment to inspect it. "And DON'T call me ma'am."

Gibbs came up next to her and looked at the inspector. "Is there a problem here?"

"I was just explaining to your wife here -" No one corrected him, " -That 3.6 oz is over the limit for items in carry-ons. But, seeing as she is the Director of NCIS, I'm fairly certain that this can be looked over. Please Miss, just go through. We're holding up traffic."

Jenny gave the man another glare before grabbing the bag and walking away.

"Jenny, was that really necessary? I mean, I could've gotten you another bottle."

"I didn't _want _another bottle, I wanted _that _bottle." She took the bottle out to show him as they walked. "Look. It's not a regular perfume bottle. It's a special one my dad picked up years ago. You simply refill it with the perfume, but the bottle has a special intricate design. It…it means something to me, okay?"

Gibbs nodded in understanding. "Okay."

He put an arm around her waist. "Everyone else is already on the plane…except for Ducky. He had a stop to make. We're all in first class."

Jenny nodded and then grew quiet, thinking about her father and the times before he died.

* * *

"Oooh, look, they have _wine._" Abby said as she riffled through the packet that contained information on the plane…such as the menu.

"And they'll be playing some old classics. Oooh, maybe even _Magnum P.I._" Tony answered back.

Ziva and McGee shook their heads, and whipped out their laptops. "And they ask why we never take them anywhere." McGee whispered to Ziva, who was in front of him with Tony.

Ziva nodded in agreement. "I have paperwork to do instead of watching movies and drinking wine." She said sensibly.

"Hey, McGee. Will you come with me and get something to drink?"

"Abby, we haven't even taken off yet." Gibbs said as he and Jenny walked on board.

Abby looked up and gave him her 'innocent' expression. "But I want something to drink."

"Then McGee, get the stewardess to get her some water."

"Gi-ibbs!" Abby protested, but Gibbs was already walking with Jenny to their seats across the aisle.

* * *

"Hey. Hey Ziva." Tony whispered as he read through the movie times.

"Yes, Tony?" Ziva asked, annoyance creeping into her voice.

"What do you think is bothering Jenny?" He whispered.

"Tony, do I _look _like a mind reader?"

"You _look _like her friend." Tony said softly.

Ziva sighed. "I think she is remembering things."

"We all know how that can be." Tony said softly.

They looked across the aisle. Jenny was by the window, though she was pressed close to Gibbs. He held her and was whispering something in her ear.

Tony sighed and buckled his seatbelt. Ziva closed her laptop and turned to Tony. "Maybe the paperwork can wait."

"Sorry I'm late." A familiar voice that belonged to Ducky Mallard was heard saying as he boarded the plane. "I was picking up a friend. My, how serious everyone is…"

"A friend!" Abby said excitedly. "It's Dr. Jordan, isn't it!" She squealed, and, sure enough, the good doctor came aboard.

"Morning, Duck." Gibbs said softly. It seemed that Jenny had fallen asleep on his shoulder, and that she'd been crying.

"Ahhh…Jennifer." He debated saying something, but decided against it. "Do we sit behind you?"

Gibbs nodded.

* * *

Tony and Ziva were playing an alien game on her laptop and laughing.

Tony smiled. "Glad you showed up, Ducky."

Ducky smiled back. "After you, m'dear." He said, turning to Jordan.

* * *

_Wedding _

After landing in the Sunshine state itself, introductions were quick to be made.

"Annie, this is the Leroy Jethro Gibbs we've been telling you about." Tony said, pushing Gibbs forward.

Gibbs glared at Tony, then turned to Annie and smiled. "How do ya do?"

Annie smiled and shook his hand. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Hopefully good things."

"Yeah, there were some of those, too." She said, laughing.

Gibbs chuckled. "My team, quite the charmers. Let me introduce you to those you _haven't _met. This is Abby." he said, lifting his arm as she ducked under it.

"Hi!" Abby squealed as she hugged Annie, Sully, and Gracie.

"And this is McGee." He said, nodding over his shoulder. "This here is Jenny," He said as he pulled Jenny closer to him. She smiled and shook every one's hands. "And -"

"And I'm Donald, Donald Mallard, but you can call me Ducky." Ducky said as he stepped forward. "I hope you don't mind, I brought a guest. This is Dr. Jordan."

"Hello." Jordan said, nodding.

"Mind, of course we don't mind! The more the merrier." Annie said before Gracie and Sully could say anything.

"Annie! Annie! Aren't you gonna introduce me?" A woman asked as she walked up. She was wiping her hands on the apron in front of her; she looked almost exactly like Annie.

Sully chuckled. "Everyone, this is-"

"-Susie." The woman introduced.

"Ahhh, Annie's-best-friend-Susie." Abby said knowingly.

"Mhm. Now, it's time to go. Gracie, ladies, time to get dressed."

"Hello everyone." A pretty, petite blonde who looked like Gracie said as she came near. She was holding little baby Lily in her arms. "I'm Lucy, Gracie's sister." She said as she shifted the baby into one arm, and shook everyone's hands with the other. "Guys, I laid out Sully's suit in the back room, you all can get dressed there, too."

"Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

It didn't take long for everyone to get dressed and ready. The ladies all looked beautiful, and even little Lily was dressed up in a cute little dress.

"Sis, I can't believe this is happening." Lucy said as she put the veil over Gracie's head.

"I know, I can't believe it either."

"You really do look gorgeous." Jenny said as she handed her the bouquet of flowers.

"Thank you."

The music played and everyone walked out to the lovely dinning room of the Casa hotel. Even the weather had decided to cooperate. The day was perfect. It wasn't too hot, or humid as was often the case in Florida.

The small crowd of NCIS agents and a handful of family from both Sully's and Gracie's sides were the only ones who filled the dining room; it was all that both Gracie and Sully wanted. Ducky played a beautiful wedding march behind the piano, and Ziva volunteered to sing later.

The priest stood at the altar, and the service began.

Gracie walked down the aisle gracefully, no pun intended. She was just _radiant. _And, while everyone else was looking at her, she was looking at Sully. The look on his face was one of pure adoration. He loved her.

"Mama!" Lily giggled from Lucy's arms. This broke everyone out of their reverie. Smiles and laughs were exchanged in the crowd.

The Priest started speaking.

"…Do you, Mark Ethan Sullivan take Gracie Rose Smith to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." No hesitation.

"And do you, Gracie Rose Smith take Mark Ethan Sullivan to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"You may now kiss the bride."

A kiss.

A cheer.

"I now pronounce you man and wife."

Tony whistled. And Ziva slapped his arm. "Tony! It's a wedding for crying out loud."

"Oh shut up and go sing!" Tony said teasingly.

"Only if you come dance with me."

"Fine. But only if Abby and McGee come."

Abby heard this. "Okay, but Gibbs and Jenny have to come, too."

Gibbs looked at Jenny and smiled mischievously. "Alright…if Ducky and the Doctor come."

Ducky laughed. "Fine." He looked up at Gracie and Sully, who were watching with amusement. "But then I must request that the newlyweds dance with us."

Gracie laughed and grabbed Sully's hand. "Hit the music, Susie!"

* * *

The rest of the night was spent laughing and dancing; everyone was enjoying their time with family and friends.

It'd been a long, _fun _day, and in the end, everyone was sitting in one of the guest rooms (The family was in another guest room). Sully and Gracie were sprawled out on the couch, playing with Lily between them. Annie and Susie were talking at a table in the corner with Lucy. Ziva and Tony were on the bed with Abby and McGee, and Jenny and Gibbs were on the floor with Ducky and Jordan.

Everyone was plenty full of celebratory wine and champagne (except for little Lily), and they were all laughing and joking around.

"I'm really glad that you all came." Sully said when a silence fell over the room.

"We're really glad you invited us." Jenny said, yawning. She was sitting next to Gibbs, playing with the hem of her shirt. The dresses were already packed in the suitcase, done with for the night.

"Dear me, look how late it is. Everyone, we should be going to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow…Florida offers a lot of attractions." Annie said standing and taking Lily.

"How many rooms are there?" Ziva asked.

"For all of y'all NCIS agents…4."

Gibbs stood and helped Jenny up. "Well, that's a no brainer how they're going to be split." Gibbs said with a sigh.

Abby laughed. "We're that easy to read?"

Ducky stood, too. "Yes, m'dear. Apparently we are.

* * *

The hours and days went by. They had fun in Orlando and Miami…Tampa and Jacksonville. There wasn't a theme park they didn't visit; no museum was left unexplored.

But it wasn't the sights that made those days special. It was who they were spent with.

Family…Friends.

These weren't the type of people you met once and forgot. And Tony and Ziva certainly never did.

After all. If it weren't for them, they would've never been together. Jenny and Gibbs may have never gotten _back _together. If it weren't for them, things would be different.

But we can't give them all the credit. Some of it has to go to nights like these.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Okay, I guess it was a cheap-ish ending…but it was all I could do. I was getting tired of it. And besides, this whole chapter is like, 9 pages long. I really hope you have enjoyed this fic, and thank you all for sticking through it with me. Thanks to everyone who has favorited/alearted it. And a special thanks to those who have convinced me to extend this from the original one-shot into…well, into this. Thank you.


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